Getting from Chubu Airport (Centrair) to Hakuba Valley
Getting from Chubu Airport (Centrair) to Hakuba Valley
Nagoya is Japan’s 4th largest city, with a population of over 2 million. Its main airport is Chubu International Airport, located offshore about 35 km south of downtown Nagoya. Below we offer the simplest and most economical transfers. If you have something else in mind, then please fill in the form on the right and we’ll get back to you with the best options. | |
Taking a train between Chubu Airport and Hakuba Valley will take a minimum of 3 trains, and at least 2 transfers. While not difficult, unless you time the connections right, you may be waiting a long time.
There is one very convenient connection a day from Nagoya to Hakuba Valley. It combines the Wide View Shinano Express with the Azusa Express. To do this, you will need to catch the Wide View Shinano # 3 which leaves Nagoya at 08:00 and arrives in Matsumoto (platform 3) at 10:06. |
The first leg of the trip is getting from Chubu Airport to Central Nagoya.
Meitetsu Railway
The line between Chubu Airport and central Nagoya is operated by Meitetsu Rail Co. This is one of the biggest transport operators in the central Japan area.
Chubu Kokusai Kuko Station
The name of the station at the airport is Chubu Kokusai Kuko Station (Chubu International Airport Station). It is located in the “Access Plaza” a short walk up a gentle slope from the arrival lobby on the 2nd floor.
It is to the left of the information booth in the center of the plaza.
Buying Tickets
There are ticket counters and vending machines where you can buy tickets. Vending machines are multi lingual.
Because the first part of the trip is on the Meitetsu Line, you will need to buy a ticket here from Chubu Airport to Meitetsu Nagoya Station, and then buy the rest of your tickets once you arrive in central Nagoya.
Train Types
There are several different trains that run along the Meitetsu Airport Line. The base fare for this route is 890yen, but if you use the faster trains, there will be a 360yen surcharge bringing the total to 1,250yen per person.
The signature train is the Myu-Sky express. According to the website, this train can cover the distance from Chubu to Nagoya in 28 minutes but in our experience it takes longer (generally 35-40 minutes).
There are also express commuter trains, and local trains. Avoid the local trains as they take forever, as they stop as every station.
The Trip
The trip is fairly uneventful as it is mostly through industrial areas and residential neighborhoods. There is a good view as you cross the airport access bridge, and also the skyscrapers around Nagoya Station.
Transfer to JR Nagoya Station
The transfer from Meitetsu Nagoya to JR Nagoya Station is not to difficult and is completely indoors.
On arrival Meitetsu Nagoya Station, take the escalator up from the platform to the ticket gate concourse. Go out the NORTH EXIT, and head to your left. There are plenty of signs guiding the way to JR Nagoya Station. The closest entrance is called the Hirokoji Entrance.
It takes about 5 minutes to walk, and it is best to allow at least 15 minutes to make your connection (more if you are not confident buying tickets in vending machines).
Shinano Wide View Express
The train from Nagoya to Matsumoto (and on to Nagano) is called “Shinano Wide View Limited Express”. Limited Express are the 2nd fastest type of train in Japan after the Shinkansen Bullet train. They only stop at larger stations, and by-pass the commuter ones. The train from Nagoya to Matsumoto will only stop at about 7 stations along the way and take about 2 hours.
There are 6 carriages on the train. #1 is the front of the train heading towards Matsumoto, while 6 is the rear of the train.
Car 1 is Green Class (first class) and a surcharge is required in addition to the limited express fare.
Cars 2-4 are reserved sets. These are for people with seat assignments on their tickets.
Cars 5-6 are non-reserved, meaning these seats are on a first come basis.
There is no food or beverage service on this train so it pays to buy a few snacks at Nagoya Station before boarding.
Boarding the Train
Most of the Wide View Shinano Trains depart from platform #10, but you need to check the digital signs at the station entrance to confirm this as it can change on occasion.
The ticket sales and ticket gates are on the basement level. There are 3 pathways to the platforms (North, Central, and South). You walk along the tunnel like corridor and there are a number of staircases (and escalators on the North and Central pathways). These have the platform numbers on them. At the platform 10 sign, climb the stairs and you will be on the ground level on the platform.
There are small convenience stores on the platform where you can buy snacks and drinks.
The train will arrive 5-10 minutes before departure.
Nagoya to Matsumoto
The trip from Nagoya to Matsumoto takes about 2 hours. After leaving Nagoya the train travels through the suburbs before following a number of river valleys. Between the many tunnels, there are some great valley views on both sides of the train.
For much of the way the train follows the old Nakasendo route. This is the ancient walkway from Osaka to Tokyo through the mountains. Many of the townships you pass through on the way are the old staging towns where weary travelers would stay over night in small Japanese style lodges.
The train makes a brief stop at Matsumoto before continuing on to Nagano. So get your luggage together and move to the end of the carriage shortly before you arrive. You will generally arrive at platform 3 at Matsumoto Station.
If you are catching the Limited Express Azusa to Hakuba then you need to head to platform 4. If not then generally will head to platform 6, but you will need to check on the digital signs.
Matsumoto Station is quite small and you generally only need 5 minutes to transfer trains here.
Matsumoto to Hakuba
If you did not make the above Shinano / Azusa Combo, then you need to take local trains on the JR Oito Line to get to Hakuba. While there are a couple of trains a day that go all the way through to Hakuba, in most cases there will be another train change in Shinano Omachi along the way.
Arrival in Hakuba
Hakuba is a very small station, with only 3 platforms, 1 exit, and not many trains. Most trains arrive at platform 1, which is right next to the exit. There is no automatic ticket gates here, so you give your tickets to the station staff.
On exiting the station there is a taxi stand right in front of you. Many accommodation properties will pick you up from Hakuba station if you give them a call.
Nagoya is Japan’s 4th largest city, with a population of over 2 million. Its main airport is Chubu International Airport, located offshore about 35 km south of downtown Nagoya. Below we offer the simplest and most economical transfers. If you have something else in mind, then please fill in the form on the right and we’ll get back to you with the best options. | |
Taking a train between Chubu Airport and Hakuba Valley will take a minimum of 3 trains, and at least 2 transfers. While not difficult, unless you time the connections right, you may be waiting a long time.
There is one very convenient connection a day from Nagoya to Hakuba Valley. It combines the Wide View Shinano Express with the Azusa Express. To do this, you will need to catch the Wide View Shinano # 3 which leaves Nagoya at 08:00 and arrives in Matsumoto (platform 3) at 10:06. |
The first leg of the trip is getting from Chubu Airport to Central Nagoya.
Meitetsu Railway
The line between Chubu Airport and central Nagoya is operated by Meitetsu Rail Co. This is one of the biggest transport operators in the central Japan area.
Chubu Kokusai Kuko Station
The name of the station at the airport is Chubu Kokusai Kuko Station (Chubu International Airport Station). It is located in the “Access Plaza” a short walk up a gentle slope from the arrival lobby on the 2nd floor.
It is to the left of the information booth in the center of the plaza.
Buying Tickets
There are ticket counters and vending machines where you can buy tickets. Vending machines are multi lingual.
Because the first part of the trip is on the Meitetsu Line, you will need to buy a ticket here from Chubu Airport to Meitetsu Nagoya Station, and then buy the rest of your tickets once you arrive in central Nagoya.
Train Types
There are several different trains that run along the Meitetsu Airport Line. The base fare for this route is 890yen, but if you use the faster trains, there will be a 360yen surcharge bringing the total to 1,250yen per person.
The signature train is the Myu-Sky express. According to the website, this train can cover the distance from Chubu to Nagoya in 28 minutes but in our experience it takes longer (generally 35-40 minutes).
There are also express commuter trains, and local trains. Avoid the local trains as they take forever, as they stop as every station.
The Trip
The trip is fairly uneventful as it is mostly through industrial areas and residential neighborhoods. There is a good view as you cross the airport access bridge, and also the skyscrapers around Nagoya Station.
Transfer to JR Nagoya Station
The transfer from Meitetsu Nagoya to JR Nagoya Station is not to difficult and is completely indoors.
On arrival Meitetsu Nagoya Station, take the escalator up from the platform to the ticket gate concourse. Go out the NORTH EXIT, and head to your left. There are plenty of signs guiding the way to JR Nagoya Station. The closest entrance is called the Hirokoji Entrance.
It takes about 5 minutes to walk, and it is best to allow at least 15 minutes to make your connection (more if you are not confident buying tickets in vending machines).
Shinano Wide View Express
The train from Nagoya to Matsumoto (and on to Nagano) is called “Shinano Wide View Limited Express”. Limited Express are the 2nd fastest type of train in Japan after the Shinkansen Bullet train. They only stop at larger stations, and by-pass the commuter ones. The train from Nagoya to Matsumoto will only stop at about 7 stations along the way and take about 2 hours.
There are 6 carriages on the train. #1 is the front of the train heading towards Matsumoto, while 6 is the rear of the train.
Car 1 is Green Class (first class) and a surcharge is required in addition to the limited express fare.
Cars 2-4 are reserved sets. These are for people with seat assignments on their tickets.
Cars 5-6 are non-reserved, meaning these seats are on a first come basis.
There is no food or beverage service on this train so it pays to buy a few snacks at Nagoya Station before boarding.
Boarding the Train
Most of the Wide View Shinano Trains depart from platform #10, but you need to check the digital signs at the station entrance to confirm this as it can change on occasion.
The ticket sales and ticket gates are on the basement level. There are 3 pathways to the platforms (North, Central, and South). You walk along the tunnel like corridor and there are a number of staircases (and escalators on the North and Central pathways). These have the platform numbers on them. At the platform 10 sign, climb the stairs and you will be on the ground level on the platform.
There are small convenience stores on the platform where you can buy snacks and drinks.
The train will arrive 5-10 minutes before departure.
Nagoya to Matsumoto
The trip from Nagoya to Matsumoto takes about 2 hours. After leaving Nagoya the train travels through the suburbs before following a number of river valleys. Between the many tunnels, there are some great valley views on both sides of the train.
For much of the way the train follows the old Nakasendo route. This is the ancient walkway from Osaka to Tokyo through the mountains. Many of the townships you pass through on the way are the old staging towns where weary travelers would stay over night in small Japanese style lodges.
The train makes a brief stop at Matsumoto before continuing on to Nagano. So get your luggage together and move to the end of the carriage shortly before you arrive. You will generally arrive at platform 3 at Matsumoto Station.
If you are catching the Limited Express Azusa to Hakuba then you need to head to platform 4. If not then generally will head to platform 6, but you will need to check on the digital signs.
Matsumoto Station is quite small and you generally only need 5 minutes to transfer trains here.
Matsumoto to Hakuba
If you did not make the above Shinano / Azusa Combo, then you need to take local trains on the JR Oito Line to get to Hakuba. While there are a couple of trains a day that go all the way through to Hakuba, in most cases there will be another train change in Shinano Omachi along the way.
Arrival in Hakuba
Hakuba is a very small station, with only 3 platforms, 1 exit, and not many trains. Most trains arrive at platform 1, which is right next to the exit. There is no automatic ticket gates here, so you give your tickets to the station staff.
On exiting the station there is a taxi stand right in front of you. Many accommodation properties will pick you up from Hakuba station if you give them a call.
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